Nearly everyone will experience it at some point in their lives: an air conditioner that, no matter what they try, has given up and simply refuses to work until an HVAC contractor comes to take care of it. If this happens on one of the hottest days of the year, how can you keep your family safe and cool, and also keep tempers below boiling as well? Our quick tips will have you feeling cooler in no time.
Stay Hydrated
Whether you’re drinking ice water or licking a popsicle, a big part of staying cool is staying hydrated, and a great way to do that is by drinking chilled beverages. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty from the heat, because that means you’re already heading down the road towards dehydration, which can be especially dangerous for children and the elderly. Instead, make a point to keep a glass of ice water near each individual in your home and encourage frequent refills as well as small sips.
Add Some Fans
Anything that you can do to circulate the heat will help — opening windows, turning on ceiling fans, or even using some hand-held fans to keep the air moving. The trick with ceiling fans is to be sure that the fan blades are blowing in a counterclockwise direction so that they’re moving the air up to lift and circulate around the room and not pushing the hotter air down.
Conserve Electricity
Believe it or not, lights can add a significant amount of heat to a room, especially incandescent bulbs (the kind most commonly used in homes). Long-term, look at replacing incandescent lights with fluorescent bulbs to reduce heat and energy use at the same time! Even if you only turn off the lights in rooms that you’re not currently in, you can save a little bit of heat, and that can make a big difference in the summer. Also, consider leaving off your oven. Many people do not realize just how much additional heat comes into your home by heating up the oven! Grill lunch and dinner outside where you’ll find a little breeze, or eat cold sandwiches instead.
Window Strategies
Lowering the shades in your home, especially on the side where the sun is directly hitting, can make a major difference in the temperature inside your home. Lower the shades, close your curtains and shut the blinds to block the sunlight from coming into your home when your HVAC unit fails.
Having a trustworthy HVAC contractor available to help you when a problem occurs is the first step to fixing the issue. Buckeye Heating and Cooling are your licensed HVAC contractors, and we are available 24 hours a day on our service line at 614-888-4328. We care about keeping your home comfortable and will get you back up and running as soon as we can.
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